UPDATE - 9 a.m. from NHC: Irene heads toward Dominican Republic

ASSOCIATED PRESS AND STAFF REPORTS

Monday

Aug 22, 2011 at 12:18 AM

9 a.m., from the National Hurricane Center -

Data from an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft indicate that the center of Hurricane Irene is moving away from Puerto Rico, and at 9 a.m., the center was located near latitude 19.0 north, longitude 67.2 west.

Irene is moving toward the west-nrothwest at near 14 mph. This general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days.

One the forecast track, the center of Irene will continue to move away from the north coast of Puerto Rico this morning and approach the northern coast of the Dominican Republic later today.

Maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph, with higher gusts. Irene is a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Somestrengthening is forecast durint the next 48 hours.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles from the center, and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles, mainly northwest and northeast of the center.

7:50 a.m. -

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Puerto Ricans awoke to flooded and debris-strewn streets today following the overnight passage of Hurricane Irene, which next took aim at the Dominican Republic on a path that could take the storm to the U.S. by the end of the week.

The storm flooded streets, knocked down trees throughout the island, caused several rivers to overflow their banks and left more than a million Puerto Ricans without power. But there were no immediate reports of any deaths.

Remnants of Irene were expected to continue lashing the island most of today.

Hurricane Irene was moving west-northwest away from Puerto Rico at roughly 14 mph with maximum sustained winds near 75 mph. Irene's center was about 55 miles west-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Check back at staugustine.com for updates as they are issued throughout the day.

6:28 a.m. -

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Irene reached hurricane strength early today after it began moving across Puerto Rico, pounding the U.S. Caribbean territory with torrential rains and winds.

Earlier, as a tropical storm, Irene downed trees and caused widespread power outages in the U.S. Virgin Islands as it churned just miles (kilometers) from St. Croix, said Christine Lett, spokeswoman for the territory's emergency management agency.

Forecasters earlier said Irene was likely to pass south of Puerto Rico, but the storm shifted north and was passing directly over the island, said Krizia Negron, a meteorologist with the U.S. National Weather Service in San Juan as the first 70 mph (110 kph) winds began lashing the territory.

After moving over Puerto Rico, Irene was expected to approach Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Nearly 600,000 people in Haiti still live without shelter after last year's earthquake.

In the U.S., Irene, the first hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane seasion, was expected to affect Florida and could clip Georgia and the Carolinas.

The hurricane center said the main impediment to the storm's progress over the next couple of days will be interaction with land. If Irene passes over Hispaniola's mountains or over parts of eastern Cuba, the storm could weaken more than currently expected.

"However, if the system ends up moving to the north of both of those land masses it could strengthen more than expected," wrote forecaster Richard Pasch.

The hurricane center's current forecast has Irene hitting southern Florida as a hurricane by Thursday.

Check back at staugustine.com for updates as they are issued throughout the day.

5:40 a.m. -

Irene strengthened over Puerto Rico, becoming the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic season, the Natinal Hurricane Center says.

At 5 a.m., Irene was about 25 miles west of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and about 125 east of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. The storm is moving west-northwest at 12 mph and has a central pressure of 29.15 inches.

Check back at staugustine.com for updates as they are issued throughout the day.

The fast-moving storm, moving west-northwest at roughly 15 mph, was taking an unpredictable path that left people in the islands of the U.S. Caribbean anxious about the winds and rain to come.

On its current forecast track, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Irene was expected to pass near or over Puerto Rico late Sunday with maximum winds of 60 mph. It's expected to strengthen into a hurricane on Monday as it approaches Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Nearly 600,000 people in Haiti still live without shelter after last year's earthquake.

On Sunday night, Irene's center was some 90 miles east-southeast of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico's main airport was swamped with people, the usual Sunday crowds combined with people rushing to get off the island before the storm or stranded because flights to a number of other islands had been canceled. There were long lines at check-in counters and at the airport hotel.

Jenny Chappell of Richmond, Virginia, returning from a weeklong business trip in Puerto Rico, was among those booking a room at the airport hotel, assuming that her 1 a.m. flight, at the height of the storm, would be canceled.

"My friend told me get a room, get some water, get some snacks because if anything goes down you'll need it," Chappell said.

Strong winds and battering rain were expected late Sunday over Puerto Rico, including its outlying islands of Culebra and Vieques, where 150 tourists were evacuated, according to Gov. Luis Fortuno. At least 4,000 people were without power and another 13,000 without water as the storm approached. U.S. forecasters had earlier expected the storm's center to pass just south of Puerto Rico's southern coast, but now said it could pass near or over the island of nearly 4 million inhabitants.

"The storm is wobbling a little bit. It is moving more to the west-northwest than we anticipated earlier," said Cristina Forbes, an oceanographer at the center. Sustained winds must reach 74 mph (119 kph) for the storm to be classified as a hurricane.

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, Gov. John deJongh declared a state of emergency in order to impose storm curfews.

"We've got what appears to be a direct hit on St. Croix," said governor spokesman Jean Greaux, who did not immediately have details about any possible damage on the largest and poorest of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Emergency shelters were opened on St. Croix, where the port was closed. The Hovensa LLC refinery on St. Croix also closed its port because of the storm but operations remained normal at the refinery, one of the largest in the Western Hemisphere, said spokesman Steve Strahan.

In the southeastern Puerto Rican town of Patillas, Edgar Morales, owner of a roadside food stall, was one of the few business owners who opened Sunday despite the approaching storm.

"We're going to stay open until God allows it," said Morales, 35, who scanned TV news about the tropical storm with some of his customers.

Jose Rivas, 46, said he woke up early Sunday to place storm shutters on his house, fill his car with gas and take out money. He said he and his wife along with their two sons will spend the night at a hotel next to their house in Patillas.

"We'll leave as soon as the sea starts rising," he said.

In advance of Irene, Puerto Rican authorities urged islanders to secure their homes and pick up debris that high winds could turn into dangerous projectiles. Maritime officials advised people to stay away from the ocean because Irene could bring a dangerous storm surge to the coast.

"I strongly recommend that swimmers and recreational boaters avoid the ocean and that the general public stay away from shoreline rocks until the tropical storm passes and weather and surf conditions normalize," said Capt. Drew Pearson, a U.S. Coast Guard commander.

All schools and nearly all government offices in Puerto Rico will remain closed on Monday, Fortuno said.

The National Hurricane Center said the main impediment to the storm's progress over the next couple of days will be interaction with land. If Irene passes over Hispaniola's mountains or over parts of eastern Cuba, the storm could weaken more than currently expected.

"However, if the system ends up moving to the north of both of those land masses it could strengthen more than expected," wrote forecaster Richard Pasch.

The center's current forecast has Irene hitting southern Florida as a hurricane by Thursday.

Early Sunday, the storm churned up rough surf along a group of small islands in the eastern Caribbean that includes Antigua & Barbuda, St. Kitts & Nevis, Guadeloupe, and St. Maarten.

The storm caused some flooding in low-lying areas, and several countries and territories reported scattered power outages, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries. The storm was expected to dump up to 7 inches of rain on the islands.

Forecasters said tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 150 miles, mainly to the north of Irene's center.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Stay Connected

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The St. Augustine Record ~ One News Place, St. Augustine, FL 32086 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service